The United Kingdom and the Netherlands maternity care responses to COVID-19: A comparative study

BackgroundThe national health care response to coronavirus (COVID-19) has varied between countries. The United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands (NL) have comparable maternity and neonatal care systems, and experienced similar numbers of COVID-19 infections, but had different organisational responses to the pandemic. Understanding why and how similarities and differences occurred in these two contexts could inform optimal care in normal circumstances, and during future crises.AimTo compare the UK and Dutch COVID-19 maternity and neonatal care responses in three key domains: choice of birthplace, companionship, and families in vulnerable situations.MethodA multi-method study, including documentary analysis of national organisation policy and guidance on COVID-19, and interviews with national and regional stakeholders.FindingsBoth countries had an infection control focus, with less emphasis on the impact of restrictions, especially for families in vulnerable situations. Differences included care providers’ fear of contracting COVID-19; the extent to which community- and personalised care was embedded in the care system before the pandemic; and how far multidisciplinary collaboration and service-user involvement were prioritised.ConclusionWe recommend that countries should 1) make a systematic plan for crisis decision-making before a serious event occurs, and that this must include authentic service-user involvement, multidisciplinary collaboration, and protection of staff wellbeing 2) integrate women’s and families’ values into the maternity and neonatal care system, ensuring equitable inclusion of the most vulnerable and 3) strengthen community provision to ensure system wide resilience to future shocks from pandemics, or other unexpected large-scale events.     

试论彝文古籍中的夜郎情节

近半个世纪的夜郎文化研究 ,造就了第一个研究顶峰 ,即南抵兴义、北至赫章、东达贵阳、西到盘县这样一个范围内的大规模的挖掘考古。在知识经济的大背景下 ,文化拉动经济的口号越来越响 ,将夜郎文化打造为贵州品牌 ,是夜郎文化的第二个研究顶峰。本文试着从民族古籍的角度 ,特别是从彝文古籍中 ,再次寻找夜郎遗迹。彝文古籍 ,代表着西南一个独立的文化体系 ,自有着它独一无二的文化特征 ,其中包容着许多真实而复杂的西南各民族迁徙、演变以及地域城池的变迁史。而这些 ,与夜郎文明无不有着千丝万缕的关系 ,无论于史学家、民族学家还是考古学家 ,都有着很大的学术价值。     

论《人间王国》中的拉美文化融汇特征

古巴作家阿莱霍·卡彭铁尔运用"神奇现实主义"的创作手法,在小说《人间王国》中,以描写黑奴传播非洲迷信故事、奴隶的民族觉醒和反抗、土著和黑人皈依天主教、种族仇恨、西班牙教堂里的巫术气息、欧洲殖民者醉心于拉美风光等现象,深刻反思了拉丁美洲社会的落魄、觉醒、反抗到适应的现实问题,提出拉美历史文化特色源于殖民宗主国文化同印第安及非洲黑人文化的相互融合性观点,并通过神话原型的显现展示了拉丁美洲文化的混杂和社会的畸形。     

赫德与戈登

赫德与戈登都是英国人,在太平天国时期,他们之间,合作得相当好。在中俄伊犁交涉时期,他们之间产生了矛盾,后来,又和好如初。他们的关系好坏,都与中国近代外交息息相关,很值得研究。     

蒙古与大理关系新探——以“斡腹之谋”为视角

成吉思汗时期,蒙古军形成了假道大理经南宋广西北上灭宋的＂斡腹之谋＂。前四汗时期,因受宋蒙关系及宋蒙战局影响,吐蕃、大理一线即今藏彝走廊地区成为蒙古军对宋战略主攻方向和进军路线要道,大理及周边诸蛮被迫卷入蒙古军征服计划与行动之内,因而其时蒙古与大理关系带有鲜明武力假道借路的军事色彩。     

Mistreatment of Older People in the United Kingdom: Findings from the First National Prevalence Study

There have been few national studies of the prevalence of elder mistreatment (abuse and neglect) in private households. This article provides an overview of the UK National Prevalence Study of Elder Mistreatment that took place in 2006. It addressed 2,111 respondents in four countries who answered a face-to-face survey questionnaire. The achieved sample was weighted to be representative of the UK older population. Of respondents, 2.6% reported mistreatment by family members, close friends, or care workers. The predominant type of reported mistreatment was neglect (1.1%) followed by financial abuse (0.6%), with 0.4% of respondents reporting psychological abuse, 0.4% physical abuse, and 0.2% sexual abuse. Women were significantly more likely to have experienced mistreatment than men, but there were gender differences according to type of abuse and perpetrator characteristics. Divergent patterns were found for neglect, financial, and interpersonal abuse. Further analysis of the data indicated that the likelihood of mistreatment varied with socioeconomic position and health status.     

Differences in motivational dimensions across gambling frequency,game choice and medium of play in the United Kingdom

Motivations to gamble in the United Kingdom were examined in relation to gambling preferences and behaviour (gambling frequency, game choice, medium of play). A factor analysis delineated six motivational dimensions for gambling as a leisure activity: socialization through learning, escape, peripheral activity, fun/challenge, socialization through competition, and to win money. The motivational dimensions differed significantly for various gambling frequencies and across choice of games, though not across different media of play. More frequent gamblers chose to gamble for escape and/or fun/challenge purposes, while less frequent gamblers chose to gamble for socialization through learning and peripheral activities. Certain gambling motivations significantly affected decisions to play lottery, roulette, poker, betting and slots, but motivations were not significantly different from each other for bingo, blackjack, fixed-odds betting terminals and football pools. The research extends current knowledge of motivations in the UK and recreational gamblers, introducing a new motivational factor – activities indirectly related to gambling – and emphasizing the relationship between gambling motivations and behaviours. Knowledge of motivations assists casino operators in creating effective marketing strategies and aids lawmakers in better understanding the gambling objectives of their citizenry. These motivational dimensions also serve as a baseline against which problematic motivations can be compared.     

About the contributors

The paper reports secondary analysis of data from the 2010 British Gambling Prevalence Survey, a household survey of a representative sample of the population aged 16 years and over (N = 7756). Responses to questions about frequency of gambling and average monthly spend on each of 15 forms of gambling, and responses to two different problem gambling screens (DSM-IV and PGSI), were used to derive estimates, for each form of gambling separately, of the percentage of (1) all days play (two estimates), and (2) all spend (four estimates), attributable to problem gamblers. Although these estimates must be treated as approximations only, they demonstrate that problem gamblers make a far greater contribution to total gambling attendances and losses than problem gambling prevalence figures would suggest. There are certain forms of British gambling to which problem gamblers may be contributing as much as 20–30% of all days play and spend, and moderate risk gamblers a possible further 10–20%.     

Marketing of Voluntary Organizations as Contract Providers of National and Local Government Welfare Services in the UK

Voluntary organisations have become major providers of numerous social welfare services that previously were supplied by the state. In Britain, between 35 and 40% of the average human services charity’s annual income now derives from government (predominantly local government) sources, meaning that the acquisition of fresh contracts to undertake government funded work, in conjunction with the maintenance of good relations with government funders vis-à-vis current assignments, is increasingly important for ensuring a human service charity’s financial survival. An organization that wishes to obtain new contracts and to keep government bodies satisfied with its present activities will need to market itself effectively. This empirical study examined two aspects of charity marketing relevant to this requirement: the extent to which voluntary organizations applied the principles of strategic account management (otherwise known as key account management) to their relations with government funders, and the organizational characteristics (passion and commitment, low wage costs, etc.) that they emphasized to government bodies when making bids. A number of organizational variables (e.g., mission rigidity, strategic intent, short term operational focus) were employed in regression analyses as possible determinants of: (i) the degree to which a charity used strategic account management; and (ii) the genres of the organizational characteristics that it accentuated when tendering for government funded work.

唐贞元年间点苍山盟誓的几个问题

贞元十年,南诏与唐盟誓于洱海边的点苍山,双方关系的恢复由此得到正式确定。点苍山盟誓不仅是南诏与唐关系史上的一个重大历史事件,也是南诏与吐蕃关系史中的一个重大历史事件。这一盟誓之后,南诏、唐、吐蕃三方关系出现了历史性的重大转折。分析史籍中的相关材料,对盟誓提出者、南诏最高首领异牟寻是否参加了此次盟誓、崔佐参加盟誓的身份、地点选择在点苍山的原因四个问题进行了探讨。可见,南诏与唐对此次盟誓均高度重视,并进行了周密的安排。